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Sunday, June 21

Here’s an
excerpt from a sweet interview with Rod Fergusson. Who is Rod? Rod is the man
in charge of the Gears of War franchise – his team, The Coalition, recently announced
a remake of the original Gears and the fourth entry in the franchise.

You re-did all the motion capture
and remade many other aspects of the game. Did you re-record the dialogue?

No, that was one of the things we decided to leave the same. We
wanted to to really stay true to Gears 1. There's a fine line when you're
dealing with a remaster to stay true to the nostalgia versus the modernization,
and this was another choice towards nostalgia for the campaign, which was to
really stay true to the dialogue. Those lines you remember, the way that Marcus
said, "Nice!" or the way Dom said something – we wanted to keep that.
Also, all the actors have aged 10 years and everything else. If we had gone
back, we would have had a different sounding game and we didn't want that. We
re-did the foley and we took the original soundtrack, which we didn't
re-record, but we did remaster it in 7.1. There are a lot of things you will
hear that are true to the original.

Since you didn't re-record on the dialogue, the story must be
exactly the same?

Correct. The one thing we did do was take that PC content, the
two hours of campaign, the journey to that station to catch the train that was
actually cut for the release of the first game, and then were able to take that
content and put it back in chronologically correct.

343 Industries remade Halo: Combat Evolved before diving into
Halo 4. Is this a Microsoft requirement for working on its core franchises? Or
just a good exercise to avoid diving in blind?

It had multiple advantages. One of things we looked at – part of
being The Coalition as a diverse set of developers – one of the things was
getting people soaked into what it is to make a Gears of War game. Remaking
Gears of War meant we had to go in and reverse engineer and pick it apart and
look at the scripting, understand the levels, the flow, what is cover spacing,
what are the combat distances – it was sort of a boot camp for the team to get
ready for Gears 4, and it was like, "Okay, I really understand what it's
like to make a Gears game." And on the other side, we looked at it from a
consumer and player side and we said, “Hey, we’re going to do Gears 4 and it is
going to take multiple years. How do we get a Gears game on Xbox One faster?”
And we said, “Okay, let’s remaster one – what’s the most impactful one?” And we
felt like, go back to the original. It sort of serves as a bridge because there
is somebody who, when we shipped in 2006 was seven years old who can now play
it at 17, so there is a whole new audience and then there is the nostalgia
audience as well. It’s kind of a gateway into it. It’s a ramp, you’ll see. It’s
Ultimate Edition this year and then Gears 4 next year.

Sunday, June 14

If you've been too busy playing The Witcher 3, you probably missed that Nathan Fillion will reprise his role as Buck from Halo 3: ODST in Halo 5: Guardians.

We thought it would be cool to show what the character looked like in each of the games to demonstrate just how far the design and graphics abilities of gaming has come in the 6 odd years since ODST was released:

You've no doubt heard the Blue Team is kicking ass and taking names in Halo 5 but did you hear about Fire Team Osiris who's sole task is to track down the Master Chief's renegades and bring them to justice?

Here they are:

Jameson Locke:Before he was a Spartan, Locke was an ONI Acquisitions Specialist — an expert in tracking, asset recovery, and elimination of ­high-value ­targets.

Loadout: Battle Rifle/Magnum

Holly Tanaka:After surviving the glassing of her homeworld, Tanaka joined the Army, looking for a chance to save others from the same fate.

Loadout:DMR/Magnum

Edward Buck:Nathan Fillion returns to the role of Buck. During his service as an ODST, Buck’s personnel profile suggested “if he were any better he’d be ­a ­Spartan.”

Loadout: Assault Rifle/Magnum

Olympia Vale:A child prodigy, Vale’s innate skill in languages led to a career as a Navy liaison with the ­Sangheili ­post-war.

You may have heard that Halo 5 will feature the Master Chief leading Blue Team. If you're not familiar with the expanded Halo universe, you might know know that his crew of Fred, Kelly and Linda are Spartans who have done the rounds and are finally getting their shot in the lime light in an actual Halo game.

Here's a brief bio of the quartet:

Master Chief Petty Officer John-117:

The hero of humanity, responsible for winning the Covenant war. After Cortana’s destruction, Chief reunited with Blue Team, his ­oldest ­friends.

Loadout: Assault Rifle/Magnum

Lieutenant Junior Grade Frederic-104:An expert in strategy and battlefield command, Frederic-104 is the highest-ranking member of Blue Team, but usually defers command to the Chief.

Loadout:DMR/Magnum

Petty Officer Linda-058:A highly skilled marksman, Linda-058 is the quietest member of Blue Team, but also the ­most ­observant.

Loadout: Sniper Rifle/Magnum

Petty Officer Kelly-087:Blue Team’s key reconnaissance talent, Kelly-087 is quick on her feet and with analysis of any given combat situation.

Tuesday, June 9

Halo fans may spot that the Masterchief has some new mates to play with in Halo 5. This time round Cortana is gone (remember in H4 she gave her digital life so the Chief would make it) and he has some well known characters from the expanded universe at this side.

Welcome to the videodrome, Kelly, Fred and Linda!

But that's not all. Check out a certain face from Halo 3: ODST

That's the face of Nathan Fillion as Buck from ODST! Your mom might refer to his as that guy from Castle too!

We say this is a nice mix up for Halo 5 - We love the concept that Jameson Locke's Fireteam Osiris will be hunting down Team Blue.

There will be more details coming thick and fast now - we're keen to see who the bad guys will be, and especially what part the Precursors may hold....

Sunday, December 21

You may have heard that the online release of the Master Chief Collection didn't go to well. 334 Industries released the multiplayer component basically 'red deathed' so much so it was almost impossible to find a decent match making game. It was a marketing screw up and a half that came just in time for the Christmas silly season.

334 is however crucially aware of this and the need to put things right, which they have promised to do.

Bonnie Ross said "This has been a humbling experience and highlighted how we as a studio can – and need – to do better for Xboxfans around the world. We are so grateful to our fans who have stood by our side and we appreciate all of your patience as we worked through these issues. "

Here's thee official word on what making it right looks like:

What content is being offered for free in connection with Halo: The Master Chief Collection?

To show our appreciation to the “Halo” community for their support and understanding as we worked through issues impacting “Halo: The Master Chief Collection”, we are offering free to all online users1 that have played “Halo: The Master Chief Collection” between Nov. 11, 2014 and Dec. 19, 2014 the following: 1-month of Xbox Live Gold, an exclusive in-game nameplate and avatar, as well as the campaign for “Halo 3: ODST” – remastered in 1080p and 60fps for Xbox One2. Thanks to our friends at Bungie for creating the original “Halo 3: ODST” campaign.

In addition, a re-imagined version of the “Relic” multiplayer map for “Halo 2: Anniversary” will be released to all online users of “Halo: The Master Chief Collection” in a future content update2.

1Content and 1 month of Xbox Live Gold will be provided to all players of the “Halo: The Master Chief Collection” game on any day from launch on November 11, 2014 through December 19, 2014 at 11:59 pm PST (all Gamertags that have logged activity in the game via Xbox Live during this period will be eligible). Xbox Live Gold will be delivered as early as mid-January 2015. Offer is non-transferable.

2Campaign for “Halo 3: ODST” and “Relic” multiplayer map for “Halo 2: Anniversary” to be delivered in spring of 2015. Copy of “Halo: The Master Chief Collection” required for play.

Who is eligible for this free content?

All online users that have played “Halo: The Master Chief Collection” between Nov. 11, 2014 and Dec. 19, 20141 will be eligible for the 1-month of Xbox Live Gold, an exclusive in-game nameplate and avatar, as well as the campaign for “Halo 3: ODST.” 2

The “Relic” multiplayer map will be available to all online users of “Halo: The Master Chief Collection,” regardless of gameplay during the eligibility period. 2

When and how will I receive this content and 1 month of Xbox Live Gold?

Beginning as early as mid-January 2015, depending on your existing Xbox Live subscription type, we will either apply the one month of Xbox Live Gold directly to your account or send a redeemable token via the Xbox One message center. In either case, we will send a confirmation via the in-console message center, so please check it regularly.

The exclusive in-game nameplate and avatar will be available in “Halo: The Master Chief Collection” in December 2014 via an upcoming content update. Check Halo Waypoint for further updates on release of the nameplate and avatar.

The re-mastered version of the campaign for “Halo 3: ODST” in “Halo: The Master Chief Collection” and the re-imagined “Halo 2: Anniversary” version of the “Relic” multiplayer map will be available in spring 2015. Both projects were not part of our original development plans, but as a result of community feedback, and to do something special for our fans, both are now in development. The campaign for “Halo 3: ODST” will be delivered via a free download token for eligible players1 of “Halo: The Master Chief Collection,” and “Relic” will be included as part of a free content update for the game.

Will the in-game nameplate and avatar ever be available to additional users in the future?

No. As a thank you to our early adopters for their patience and understanding, the in-game nameplate and avatar will be exclusive to all online users that have played “Halo: The Master Chief Collection” between Nov. 11, 2014 and Dec. 19, 20141, and will not be available through any alternate means.

Does “Halo 3: ODST” include the full game (including Firefight)?

Our focus is re-mastering the campaign from “Halo 3: ODST,” including it within “Halo: The Master Chief Collection,” and ensuring it delivers a great experience on Xbox One in 1080p and 60fps. We do not currently have plans to include Firefight.

If I am not eligible to receive “Halo 3: ODST” for free, will I be able to purchase it from the Xbox Game Store in the future? If so, how much will it cost?

We may share more details in the future regarding the potential availability of the campaign for “Halo 3: ODST” within “Halo: The Master Chief Collection” other than as part of this offer.

If I purchased a physical copy of “Halo: The Master Chief Collection,” do I still need to have it in my possession in order to receive access to the free content?

For the free items that will be available in the near term (in-game nameplate, avatar and 1 month of Xbox Live Gold), we are able to identify eligible online players1 of “Halo: The Master Chief Collection” who qualify, including those who purchased the content by disc or digitally. You do not need the “Halo: The Master Chief Collection” disc to confirm eligibility.

For the free content that will be available later in spring 2015, however, the re-mastered version of the campaign for “Halo 3: ODST” and the re-imagined “Relic” multiplayer map will launch through “Halo: The Master Chief Collection.” So players will still need to own a copy of the game in order to access that content when it becomes available.